The summer cicadas screamed outside Jujutsu High's dorms. Inside, Mimiko and Nanako crouched in front of their master, frowning like scientists examining a rare specimen.
"Why?" Nanako asked.
Suguru blinked. "Why what?"
"Your hair," Mimiko said bluntly. "The bangs."
Suguru raised a hand to his forehead, where his thick fringe hung stubbornly across his face despite the rest of his hair being tied neatly back. "…What about them?"
"Did you forget to tie them?" Nanako tilted her head.
"Or," Mimiko interjected, "do you purposely not tie them?"
"Maybe," Nanako added, "it's too much of a hassle?"
"Or maybe you do it even though it's a hassle." Mimiko's eyes narrowed.
Suguru stared. "…Are you two holding an interrogation?"
They ignored him, whispering to each other like detectives piecing together a murder case.
"Did he leave that part out on purpose?" Mimiko asked.
"Or did he forget to not leave it out?" Nanako countered.
"Does he have weird bangs because he's Geto Suguru?"
"Or is he Geto Suguru because he has weird bangs?"
The twins turned to him in unison, eyes wide with faux seriousness. "Well?!"
Suguru pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing so hard it could've blown the bangs away. "You're really wasting your youth on this nonsense."
Mimiko grinned. "So you admit it's nonsense!"
Nanako clapped her hands together. "Case closed: the bangs are intentional!"
Suguru let his hands fall to his lap. A faint smile tugged at his lips despite himself. "You two are ridiculous."
"Ridiculously right," they chorused.
Suguru leaned back, letting his bangs fall even heavier across his face, as though to spite them. "Fine. Think of it this way: if my bangs bother you that much, then they've already served their purpose."
"…Purpose?" Mimiko asked.
"To remind you there are bigger curses in the world than my hair." He smirked.
The twins groaned at once, collapsing dramatically onto the tatami.
"Worst. Answer. Ever," Nanako muttered into the floor.
But Suguru's soft chuckle followed, warm in the summer air. For that brief moment, he wasn't the feared sorcerer or the future curse user — just their exasperating, oddly bang-styled guardian.